Playing Experience:

Groves Alumnus, member of 1993 & 1994 state championship teams coached by Fred Carter.  At Groves, Rick earned All-American Honorable Mention honors, two-time co-captain and also a recipient of the Parents Award.  In the spring/summer of 1996 he played with the Windsor Water Polo Club competing in various tournaments including the Canadian National Championships in Winnipeg. 

Attended Villanova University playing varsity water polo for Dan Sharadin for one year before the program unexpectedly dropped to club status midway through his freshman year.  Rick was a three-time co-captain of the squad, leading Villanova to back-to-back National Championship appearances with a second place finish at the National Collegiate Club Championships in 2001.  He also was named two-time MVP for the Mid-Atlantic division and earned two First-Team All-Tournament honors at the National Championships.  During the summers of 2000 and 2001, he trained and played with Greater Philadelphia while competing in the Premier League. 

Coaching experience:

After graduating from Villanova, he volunteered to help with the 2002 Groves boys team under head coach Dan Brandenberg and assistant coach Casey Hurbis.  Rick was hired as the assistant coach for the 2003 girls season and helped coach the team to a second place finish at the State Championships.  He continued to assist both programs before taking over the head coaching position for the 2006 seasons.  

In 2007, Rick was voted East Region Coach of the year and was also nominated to serve as Secretary for the Michigan Water Polo Association (MWPA).  Currently, Rick coaches the boys program and is working toward developing the Birmingham Water Polo Club (BWPC), promoting the sport to the middle school levels while developing a spring/summer program for the Birmingham area athletes.

Krista McComas